


Little Puppet Shows

by Anonymous



Category: Titans (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst, Coming Out, Forgiveness, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Jason Todd is a theatre nerd, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Singing, Team as Family, and sings show tunes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:05:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22489090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: The Titans realize that they messed up with Jason. None of them paid attention enough to notice his near-to-no self esteem and debilitating PTSD. Now they’re on a mission to make things right. But first, they need to find him.Jason Todd turns to someone from his past after leaving the Titans. She helps. Singing show tunes with her helps, too. Jason Todd isn’t just a theater nerd, after all. He’s also a musical theater nerd.Alternately titled: Forgiveness and Show Tunes: Jason Todd and Finding His Family
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Original Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 131
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Defying Gravity

**Author's Note:**

> So I was annoyed about how Jason was treated at the end of season 2, especially after almost committing suicide, so I wrote this. It's kinda cheesy and has lots of show tune/Broadway references. oops?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In 2020, the Titans search for Jason Todd. Back in 2019, Jason searches for forgiveness from someone he knew before Bruce Wayne.

**February 2020 - San Francisco - Dick**

The Titans stay in the tower. Dick had half expected them all to leave again. But they don’t. They stay. They’ve stayed since they won against Deathstroke and Cadmus in November.

Donna gets into contact with Themyscira to help Rachel with her abilities. Hank and Dawn slowly start making up with each other. Kory’s looking into how to get to her planet now that she has no ship, but she promises that once she sorts some things out, she’ll be back. 

Gar and Conner, though suffering from the knowledge of what they did at the hands of Cadmus, are starting to act more like themselves. They’ve gotten Rachel and Rose (and Jericho) into the fold of their videogame playing. In fact, they even got  _ all  _ of the Titans to play Mario Kart one night. 

So, all in all, things are getting better. Dick wouldn't necessarily say things are  _ good _ , but they aren’t bad. Not like they were before. 

There’s just one thing on Dick’s mind, now. One person: Jason Todd. 

Kory finally explains to him what was happening when he walked in that day. The day when Jason almost threw himself off of the Tower. She tells him about Rachel thinking that Jason had covered her room in crucifixes. About how the others accused him of messing with them, too. It hadn’t been Jason, and the kid had said so himself, but the others didn’t believe him.

Dick gets why Rachel may have come after Jason. He doesn’t know why, but things had been strained between them even before the crucifix incident. And they’re both kids. But Hank and Dawn and Donna? 

They have a long talk about it, without Rachel, Gar, Conner, Rose and Jericho. Dick will talk to them separately later, though. They’ve all agreed that keeping things from each other leads to nothing good. For now, though he tells Kory, Hank, Dawn, and Donna about Jason almost jumping off the roof. Hank almost punches a hole in the wall, guilt painted all over his face.

“We have to find him,” Dawn says. “He’s as much a part of this family as any of us are.”

“I know,” Dick responds. “I’m planning to. I just don’t know where to start.”

**December 2019 - Central City - Jane**

Jane hears footsteps coming up behind her and internally groans. Why do customers insist on talking to the busiest person around? Why does this particular customer want to talk to the girl who’s on her hands and knees scrubbing Coca-Cola stains off of the bottom shelf of the pop aisle? Why don’t they talk to one of the dozen other employees in the store? It’s not like there are any  _ other  _ customers around. 

“Jane,” the person says. Jane stills. No. It can’t be. She twists, craning her neck to see the person behind her, then scowls when she catches sight of him.

“Fuck off, Jason,” she twists back around and starts scrubbing the shelf again. 

“Can we talk?” Jason asks.

“No,” Jane says firmly. “Go away.”

Jason stays silent for a moment, but he doesn’t leave. He takes a step forward, then a step back again. “I’m sorry,” he tells Jane.

Jane stands up and rounds on Jason. The cloth she was cleaning with left forgotten on the shelf. “Leave.”

“Jane-”

“No, Jason. You don’t just get to come to after all this time and expect me to forgive you!” Jane yells far too loudly. “It’s been so  _ fucking  _ long, Jason. I haven’t seen you even  _ once  _ since you left. So do  _ not  _ expect everything to go back to the way it was.”

“Fuck you, Jane,” Jason says. “I’m trying, here.”

“Well I don’t want you to,” Jane glares.

“I-” Jason sighs, “I don’t want things to go back to the way they were. I want to make things better  _ now _ .”

“Who are you and what the fuck have you done with my brother?” Jane asks, promptly kneeling down again to continue scrubbing.

Jason walks around her until he’s in front of her. She ignores him, so he plops down beside her, back to the shelves and legs stretched out across the aisle. “Am I not allowed to have changed?” Jason asks angrily.

Jane rolls her eyes. There’s her Jason. It’s not that he can’t have changed, it’s that he’s shit at being vulnerable in front of people. Not much can change that sort of thing. 

“I’m sure that you’ve changed,” Jane says, “but there are some things about you that are just-”

“Extremely  _ me. _ I know. It’s just like how you alway pretend things are okay when they’re not,” Jason says. “You’re doing it now, even.”

“No I’m not,” Jane drops the cloth back onto the shelf. She sits up and stares at Jason, a defensive look in her eye.

Jason motions to the shelves and the cloth. “You sure about that?” he asks. “Because it seems like you’re avoiding your problems instead of facing them.”

“You just admitted to being one of my problems,” Jane grins. 

“Shit.”

Jane shifts around until she’s sitting down beside Jason. The shelf is a bit uncomfortable on her back, but she doesn’t really care. “What are you doing here?” she asks Jason. It really has been a long time. She honestly didn’t think she’d ever see him again.

“You’re my sister,” Jason says.

“That’s a piss poor reason, Jay. You abandoned me years ago. Now, all of a sudden, you’re coming to me? To apologize? Go back to Gotham, Jason.”

“I can’t,” Jason says.

“You… you can’t?”

“I fucked up, Jane,” he looks down at his hands, which are curled in his lap. 

“Bruce Wayne kicked you out?” Jane asks incredulously.

“What? No. Not really, anyway. I- Bruce sent me to live in San Francisco with Dick Grayson, the other guy that he took in before me.”

“You were in San Francisco? Jesus.”

“Yeah. But I really, really fucked up. And now everyone hates me and  _ I  _ hate me and I don’t know what to do.”

“So you came to me? After all this time, you came to me. To what? Fix your problems? Jason, you  _ left me.  _ You went off to live with Bruce Wayne and left me to live on the streets and jump from foster home to foster home. And now you come to me? After you mess everything up? I’m just your last option?”

“No! No, Jane. You’re… I should never have just left you. But you also never stopped me. And you’re not just my last option.”

“Of course I didn’t stop you. You deserved something good. But you could have still talked to me. You could have still  _ tried  _ to be my brother.”

“I’m trying now, aren’t I?”

Jane can’t argue that, she supposes. He  _ is  _ trying. Sort of. He’s sort of shit at it, but Jane knows her twin enough to know when he’s being serious. She sighs heavily and stands, reaching her hand out to him. He grabs it and lets her pull him up. He’s humming something under his breath. “Defying Gravity” from Wicked. It’s very  _ Jason  _ of him. 

“Come on,” Jane starts down the aisle. “My shift is over and I don’t start my second job for another few hours. Come back to my place. I expect a  _ full  _ explanation.”

**February 2020 - San Francisco - Dick**

_ Jason stands on the roof of Titans Tower. Right on the ledge. One step and he’ll fall. Dick’s heart races. He doesn’t know what to do. He can’t let Jason fall. On the ground below, cars and pedestrians drive and walk on, unaware of what goes on above them.  _

_ Jason starts to step off the ledge. Dick opens his mouth to say anything. Anything to stop Jason. Nothing comes out. He tries to step forward, but he’s glued to the spot. _

_ Jason steps forward.  _

_ Dick finds that he can finally move, can finally say something, but it’s too late. Jason has already gone over the ledge. All Dick can do is rush to the side and watch Jason fall.  _

_ And fall. _

_ And fall. _

Dick wakes up with a start, a scream at the back of his throat. He swallows it down and runs a hand through his hair. Shit. 

It’s been a week and they’re no closer to finding Jason than they were when they started looking. Dick blames himself for having to search for him in the first place. He should have paid more attention to what the kid was going through. Should have noticed that Jason wasn’t okay. Should have listened to the kid, instead of ignoring him and sidelining him. All that did was make Jason go out and try to prove himself. That hadn’t ended well. 

“Dick?” It’s Rachel, talking through the door. “There are pancakes in the kitchen if you’re ready for breakfast.”

“I’ll be there in a second,” Dick tells her. With a shaky breath, he lifts himself out of bed. 

**December 2019 - Central City - Jane**

“You can’t be serious,” Jane shakes her head. She’s standing across from Jason at her kitchen counter. Between them is a half-empty pizza box. 

“No, I’m serious,” Jason says.

“Shit,” Jane says. But then she really thinks about it. Specifically, she thinks back to a viral video that she saw months ago. “I hate that I can actually see it.”

And she does. She’d thought that the video of Robin yelling “The Titans are back, bitches!” seemed suspiciously like her twin brother. So of course it actually  _ is  _ a video of her brother. 

Jason continues with his story. Jane has to ask him to stop for a second when he tells her that he almost fell to his death at the hands of some guy named Deathstroke. He does, and reassures her that he’s okay. Someone saved him. Jane finds that his reassurances don’t help much. She almost lost her brother and she probably wouldn’t have even known it.

Jane starts pacing when Jason mentions his near suicide attempt. When she abruptly goes in for a hug, Jason is surprised. Jane doesn’t understand why, so she asks.

“You don’t think I was being stupid or selfish? Or that there was no reason to go that far?”

“Jason,” Jane says, “you do realize that your problems are significant, right? Even if they don’t seem that way, or if they aren’t as bad as someone else’s.”

“Oh,” he hugs her back.

They end up on Jane’s couch as Jason finishes his story. She’s angry at the Titans, or whatever they’re called. So angry. How could they let Jason suffer through all of this alone? 

But Jason isn’t angry at them. He says that he was. He hated them. He never wanted to see them again. 

“But now,” Jason says, “I don’t know how I feel about them. I’m not angry at them like I was before. I don’t hate them anymore. They hate me, though, so it doesn’t even matter.”

“You can’t know that for sure,” Jane says. She can’t believe she’s defending them, but they clearly mean something to him. “You could always go back.”

“No way,” Jason says. “They don’t want me there. I’m okay with that.”

“So… what are you going to do, then?” 

“Um, would you be opposed to me staying here? With you?”

**February 2020 - San Francisco - Dick**

“We found him!” Dick is startled so much by Gar’s proclamation that he stumbles, leaving himself open for Hank to win their sparring match. Hank doesn’t even pause to celebrate, finally processing the information that Gar’s just given them.

“Where is he?” Hank asks as Dick picks himself up off the floor.

“Central City,” Gar tells them, then almost gets run over by Conner, who rushes into the training room at almost full speed.

“He went out as Robin,” Conner says excitedly, “and saved a bunch of people from a bank! It’s all over the… T…. um.” 

“TV,” Gar supplies. “It’s all over the news. He saved a lot of people.” 

From somewhere else in the tower, Rachel yells out to them. “Pack your bags, Titans! We’re going to get Jason back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring:
> 
> Defying Gravity (from Wicked)
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEq3xM-i0Ng


	2. The Winner Takes it All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set entirely in 2020, Jason and Jane sing show tunes in a pub and the Titans ask for forgiveness.

**February 2020 - Central City - Jane**

Having her twin brother as a roommate isn’t as bad as Jane thought it would be. Jason, though chaotic, is actually pretty organized. He listens to loud music, sure, but so does Jane. He keeps the flat clean, or at least, he tries to. He folds up the sheets he’s using every morning since he’s sleeping on Jane’s couch for the time being. Jane tried to make him take the bed but he refused. 

And he got himself a job. Well, Jane helped a little. In addition to working at the grocery store, Jane works in a pub as a waitress (and occasional singer). She talked to her boss and got Jason a job, too. Not as a waiter.

Most people don’t know it, but Jason can  _ sing _ . He’s especially fond of showtunes, probably from their days in the rafters of a high school theater. Jane calls him a nerd, but she can’t deny that theater is… pretty fucking awesome. 

Things are slow at the pub right now. It’s just after the lunch rush, and the dinner rush won’t start for another couple of hours. That’s probably why Jason is singing a song that isn’t exactly  _ light _ , nor is it a fun song for a pleasant meal that most people expect from a restaurant. None of the other employees, or their boss, are stopping him, though. And the patrons, eating their food, seem to enjoy it too. Jason is  _ that good _ . 

“ _ I don’t wanna talk,”  _ Jason sings, “ _ About things we’ve gone through. Though it’s hurting me, now it’s history.” _

“He’s dreamy,” Lorietta, Jane’s coworker and friend, whispers. Neither of them are doing much, just listening to Jason sing. There aren’t enough customers to do much else.

“Ew,” Jane says. “That’s my brother you’re talking about.” Lorietta just smirks, winks, and walks away with a string to her hips. Jane rolls her eyes. 

“ _ I’ve played all my cards, _

_ And that’s what you’ve done, too.  _

_ Nothing more to say, no more ace to play.”  _

**February 2020 - Central City - Dick**

It’s surprisingly easy to track down Jason once the Titans get to Central City. Mainly because they’re all hungry, so they make a stop at a pub that someone in the airport recommended to them. 

And Jason is in that pub.

Singing.

Dick didn’t even know that Jason could sing, but here he is belting out the lyrics to “The Winner Takes It All” by Abba. 

“ _ I apologize, if it makes you feel bad. _

_ Seeing me so tense, no self confidence.” _

“What the hell?” Kory says, staring at Jason as he moves comfortably around the stage. The other Titans are equally confused, it would seem, because all of them are staring and none of them are moving. 

“Thespian,” Dick thinks he hears Rose say under her breath. 

“Hello,” the host greets. Right, they’re in a pub. They came to get food. They follow the host to a table in a back corner. It’s the only one that’ll fit them all. It’s out of sight from the stage where Jason is finishing his song.

A waitress approaches the table. “Hello,” she says, “my name’s Jane and I’ll be helping you today. Can I get you some drinks to start?” 

They order their drinks and Jane writes them down on her notepad, but just as she turns to leave another waiter stops her.

“Jane,” he says. “Give me your notepad. Jason is looking… weepy. Go sing something with him.”

Jane rolls her eyes. These waiters seem to know Jason enough to realize that he’s not doing okay. Jason is good at hiding it, after all. Jane gives the waiter her notepad and stalks over to the stage.

“Hi,” the waiter says. “Sorry ‘bout that. I’m Greg. I’m actually going to be your waiter today. Your drinks will be out in just a moment.”

The Titans are left to think about what’s happening right now. Dick isn’t going to admit it out loud, but he’s  _ very  _ confused. 

“Is it just me,” Donna says, “or does it seem like Jason has been here for a while?”

“No,” Rachel says, “it’s not just you. Jason has been here the entire time.”

Over at the stage, Jane is whispering into Jason’s ear. He grins at her. They seem close. Jason must have found some really good friends here. A few words from Jane and Jason looks a lot happier than he was merely seconds ago. Dick wonders if Jason will even want to come back to San Francisco with them at all. 

Jason trades his handheld microphone out for a little headset stage microphone that he wraps around his ear. Jane puts one on too, then taps a button on a computer that must be hooked up to the stage’s speakers.

Dick doesn’t fully recognize the song, but it seems like Rachel and Gar do. Rose too. Her mouth has dropped open in shock. 

“ _ Imagine having everything we ever dreamed, _ ” Jane sings. “ _ Don’t you want it? _ ”

“ _ Maybe, _ ” Jason sings back. He’s very energetic on stage, like he is when he’s in a fight as Robin.

“ _ Can’t you see it? _ ”

“ _ Kinda. _ ”

“Oh my god,” Dawn’s eyes are locked onto Jason, a hand over her mouth. Hank’s eyes are bugging out of his head. Conner, on the other hand, just looks like he’s enjoying the song.

This is a side of Jason that none of them have ever seen. That none of them ever bothered to look for. Dick feels kind of bad, because Jason clearly loves this. He wonders what else he doesn’t know about Jason.

“ _ You and I, all the fame, _ ” Jane keeps singing. 

“ _ Sharpay and what’s-his-name,”  _ Jason sings back. Dick finally recognizes the song. “I Want It All” from High School Musical 3. 

“ _ Sound exciting?” _

“ _ Inviting,”  _ Dick doesn’t know how Jason can sing one word so sarcastically. 

Greg brings the Titans their drinks while Jason and Jane sing the chorus. They have to ask for more time with the menus when they realize that none of them have looked at them, too caught up in watching Jason sing.

“ _ Here in the spotlight we shine,”  _ Jason’s voice is actually really good. “ _ Look at who we are _ .”

“ _ When Broadway knows your name.” _

“ _ You know that you’re a star! _ ” 

**February 2020 - Central City - Jane**

Singing with Jason is fun. He and Jane have been practicing a few songs to do together, so they’re actually pretty okay. They sing “Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)” from Annie Get Your Gun, and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” from Mary Poppins. They don’t know any of the Mary Poppins dance choreography so they sort of make it up on the spot. They’re small audience seems to like it though and Jason looks like he’s having a good time. Jane even sings “Mother Knows Best” from Tangled at Jason so he can have a voice break. Jason has fun acting like a petulant Rapunzel. 

(And yes, they do the reprise, too, and Jane replaces the line “Rapunzel knows best” with “Jason knows best.”)

It’s when they’re finishing “I Just Can’t Wait to be King” from The Lion King- Jason singing Simba’s parts and Jane singing Zazu’s- that Jane notices something peculiar. 

Just before she’d gone off to sing with Jason, Jane had started taking a table’s orders. Now, the table is watching them sing. And yeah, that’s kind of the point of them singing live, but the people at this table are watching… weirdly. 

It’s a little off-putting, but Jason jumps into singing “I’ve Got a Dream” from Tangled. He sings pretty much all of the parts, but Jane jumps in every once in a while to sing “I’ve got a dream!” and “He’s got a dream!” She’ll eventually also sing Rapunzel’s few lines. 

“ _ Tor would like to quit and be a florist,”  _ Jason jumps off the stage and points and Lorrieta as he sings the line. Jason starts to sort of dance around the pub.

Jane follows his lead, leaping from the stage and pointing at the bartender, “ _ Gunther does interior design _ .”

“ _ Ulf is into mime, _ ” Jason jabs a finger at Greg, who’s carrying a tray of food. Greg laughs, but without making noise, earning a grin from Jason.

“ _ Attila’s cupcakes are sublime, _ ” there’s are no other waiters around her so Jane points at a random customer. The woman she ends up pointing at cheers.

Jason points to a customer this time, too. He’s pretty far from the stage now. He ends up pointing to a man near the door. “ _ Bruiser knits.” _

“ _ Killer sews, _ ” Jane motions to another patron. In the process, she notices that Jason is very close to the table that has been watching them weirdly. The people at said table are starting to look nervous. 

Jason reaches to the table and points at a boy with green hair, though he isn’t actually looking at the boy, instead singing in Jane’s direction. “ _ Fang does little,”  _ Jason turns his head to look at the boy as he sings. When he catches sight of the boy, who’s looking a lot like a deer in the headlights, Jason’s voice falters and he barely gets out the rest of the line, “ _ puppet shows. _ ”

“ _ And Vladimir collects ceramic unicorns! _ ” Jane sings on her own. They’d practiced this song before. Jason was supposed to sing that line with her. She shoots her twin a look, but he doesn’t notice.

Jason almost doesn’t start singing his next part, but he does. He almost  _ runs _ back to the stage as he does. It worries Jane.

“ _ I have dreams like you, no really!”  _ Jason’s voice is sort of hoarse, the cheeriness much too forced. “ _ Just much less touchy-feely. _ ” 

They get through the Rapunzel part of the song, Jane back on stage and singing sweetly. Slowly, Jason’s voice goes back to normal. Now, though, he keeps glancing back at the table. The people at it stare right back at him. Jason looks like he wants to run. 

“ _ We’ve got a dream!”  _ Jason and Jane sing together. “ _ So our differences ain’t really that extreme!”  _ At the next line, Jane sees Jason watching the weird table with a strange unease. “ _ We’re one big team!” _

**February 2020 - Central City - Dick**

“ _ Call us brutal _

_ Sick, sadistic, _

_ And grotesquely optimistic! _

_ ‘Cause way down deep inside, we’ve got a dream!” _

Jason saw them. Dick’s glad the boy hasn’t run away yet. It looks like he wants to, though. The spark that had been in his eye when he was singing earlier is gone. It’s been replaced with something that Dick can’t place. He thinks it might be fear. 

The song ends. Jason runs from the stage, pulling his mic off before it’s been turned off. The piercing, high pitch feedback that emits from it has he throws it in Jane’s direction makes Dick shudder.

Jane, for her part, looks very annoyed at Jason. She takes off her own mic and hands it to another waitress before following Jason. They both leave out a side door. It likely leads to an alley. 

Dick, Hank, and all of the kids must have the same idea, because they all stand up at once. Dawn sighs, rolling her eyes. She stands. So does Donna, who pulls a wad of cash from her wallet and sets it in the middle of the table. It’s definitely too much money for whatever they ordered. Dick doesn’t say anything, though. Only Gar and Conner actually ate their meals, and even then, Gar only barely touched his. 

They leave the pub through the front doors but round the corner into the alley. Jason’s bike is parked there, and it looks like he’s trying to drive away, but Jane is stopping him. She’s got an arm around his wrist and is talking to him in a hushed, urgent tone. Dick can’t see her face, but her posture looks protective.

Jason stops trying to get away when he sees the Titans. In fact, he freezes. Dick notices Jane tense up when Jason does, and when Jane turns around, she meets Dick’s eyes. 

“Who the fuck are you and why are you being stalker-y?” Jane steps in front of Jason defensively. Jason just raises the visor on his helmet, rolls his eyes, and gets off of the bike. 

“What do you want?” Jason glares. 

“Jason,” Dick says, “We-”

“Come back to the tower,” Rachel takes over. Dick’s glad, he didn’t really know where he was going with that. He’s not good with words.

“Wait,” Jane glances at Jason, “You  _ know  _ the stalker table?”

“Ma’am,” Kory takes a step forward, “We’re just here to speak with Jason. Why don’t you go back inside. Don’t worry, we won’t hold him up long.”

“No,” Jason and Jane say at the same time. 

“She stays,” Jason says. He turns to Jane, “They’re the Titans.”

“Woah,” Hank says, “secret identities, man.”

Jason groans. Jane looks shocked, but it doesn't seem to Dick like she’s shocked about meeting the Titans or the fact that Jason knows them. She looks shocked that they’re  _ here.  _ And well, she’s sort of looking at them with  _ disdain _ . 

“She already knew,” Jason says, “sort of. It doesn’t even matter. Neither of us are ever gonna see you again.” 

Jason makes to go back into the pub through the side door but Rachel calls out to him. “Jason,” she says, “wait. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” It’s Jane that speaks, not Jason. It startles Dick, because back in the pub Jane seemed really sweet. Here, right now? She’s angry. “Sorry isn’t good enough.”

“What?” Conner asks innocently. “It’s not?”

“You-  _ all of you _ . You messed up, big time, and-” Jason goes to stop Jane from ranting, but she brushes him off. “And you don’t deserve Jason’s forgiveness.”

Dick kind of hates her, because she’s  _ right _ . Jason got  _ kidnapped  _ and thrown off of a roof. He almost  _ killed  _ himself. And what did they do? What did Dick do? Not a hell of a lot. And yeah, Jason constantly acted like an ass. He acted full of himself, acted like he could do anything. Dick noticed too late that it was just a way for Jason to block out feeling like shit about himself. A way for him to block out the swirling feelings of inadequacy. Dick used to do that, too, when he was younger. 

“Jane-” Jason tries to but in. She shoots him a glare.

“Shut your face, Jason,” she snaps, then whirls back on the Titans. “Listen, I can’t lecture you on forgiveness. Not really. It took me a long time to fully forgive Jason. What I do know is this: You can’t just show up and expect forgiveness immediately. That’s what Jason did. He knows it doesn’t work. You have to work for it. Prove that you’re actually sorry. Prove that you  _ care.  _ Or else, what’s the point?”

The alley is silent. Dick knows that a lot of that was directed at him. The other adults look pretty guilty, too. Rachel just looks determined. Rose is… Rose is smiling at Jane. That makes sense, Rose cares a lot about Jason. Gar looks unsure. Of everyone, he’s the one who’s probably the least guilty. Kory and Conner, too. Conner himself looks like he’s taking this information in and writing notes in his head. 

The silence is interrupted by the side door opening. A waitress pokes her head out the door. “You guys good?” she asks. “I think you can fit a few more songs into your shifts.”

“Coming,” Jason says. He goes inside. Jane stays back for a second and regards them coolly. Dick wonders what her history with Jason is. Who is she to him?

“Are you willing to do that?” Jane asks. “Are you willing to work for it? To prove that you’re actually here for him, and not just to appease your own minds? If you can’t do that, if you aren’t willing, you should leave. Go back to San Francisco and don’t go looking for Jason again.” 

Jane makes eye contact with Dick one last time, then pulls the side door open. Inside, Jason has already started a song. As the door closes, Dick hears Jane join in part way through the chorus.

“ _ Knowing me, knowing you _

_ We just have to face it, _

_ This time, we’re through.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring:
> 
> The Winner Takes it All - (Abba) (Mamma Mia!) (the link is actually a cover done by Juan Pablo Di Pace)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1UN5YQVhcA
> 
> I Want It All - (High School Musical 3)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs6KQGhrXR0
> 
> Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better) - (Annie Get Your Gun)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTUO6GDk2T0
> 
> Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - (Mary Poppins)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZNRzc3hWvE
> 
> Mother Knows Best - (Tangled)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiyKWQj4WVY
> 
> Mother Knows Best (Reprise) - (Tangled)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qhEceQE5sQ
> 
> I Just Can't Wait to be King - (The Lion King)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bGjlvukgHU
> 
> I've Got a Dream - (Tangled)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ONGKNTYrnA
> 
> Knowing Me, Knowing You - (Abba) (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgLQDoHa_l8


	3. This is Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The road to forgiveness involves lots of singing, lots of revelations, and Jason’s inability to actually hold grudges like he pretends he can. Also featuring: Dick actually talks with someone he cares about.

**February 2020 - Central City - Jane**

The Titans are waiting outside when Jane and Jason’s shifts end. Jane’s already said her piece. Everything else is up to Jason and the Titans. Jason invites them back to the flat to have dinner. He offers to order takeout, which Jane is glad for. She doesn’t think they have enough food in the apartment to feed all of them.

Jason is… tentative. Jane can see it now, though; the Titans  _ do  _ care. They don’t bring up anything from the past. Instead, the green haired boy, Gar, takes a bite of his pizza and breaks the awkward, tense air with a question. “So,” he says, “you can sing?”

Jason blushes and ducks his head. “Yeah.”

“I knew you were a theatre nerd,” Rose smirks, “but I had no idea that you’re a  _ musical  _ theatre nerd, too.”

“Oh, shut up,” Jason laughs. The rest of dinner is pretty light, filled with laughter and smiling and the tension in Jason’s shoulders slowly diminishing. Afterwards, they end up in the living room. Somehow, Jane ends up singing “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” with Jason and Dawn (Dove!! So cool, Jane thinks). It’s actually a lot of fun. They go through some more songs, throwing the lyrics up on the TV. Hank jumps in when they sing “Take a Chance on Me” and Rachel sings when they do “Under the Sea”. 

Jason almost gets Dick to sing “Let it Go” but settles for singing “Into The Unknown” on his own. It’s not until Gar and Conner finish singing a terrible rendition of “A Whole New World”- Gar is an okay singer but Conner has never sung before- that everyone realizes how tired they are.

The living room is silent while everyone catches their breaths. Jason is smiling. It makes Jane happy. After hearing stories about the Titans from Jason, Jane didn’t think that they could be this much fun. 

“Can I do a song?”

“Rose?” Jason’s face scrunches in confusion. “You want to sing? In front of people?”  
“Uh,” eye patch girl has a very ‘oh shit’ expression on her face. “We forgot to tell you.”

“Tell me what?” Jason asks. “Are- are you using  _ sign language? _ ” 

Oh. Jane hadn’t noticed that Rose was using ASL as she spoke aloud. That’s interesting. And new. She hadn’t been doing that earlier.

“Yeah,” Rose says, signing as she does, “I’m signing. But I’m…” she pauses. Around the room, the other Titans look unsure of what to do. “I’m not Rose.”

“What?” Jason looks as lost as Jane feels.

“I’m Jericho. Rose and I are sharing a body for the time being.”

Jason told Jane all about Jericho. Or, at least everything he knew. He’d confessed that he’d felt a bit forgotten when Dick had come clean about what had happened with Jericho, because it overshadowed the fact that Jason had almost killed himself. Well, Jason told Jane about Dick confessing and Jane realized herself that Jason felt overshadowed and forgotten. Jason would never admit that on his own.

Still, Jane’s mind is pretty much filled with “holy shits” and “what the fucks” because she thought Jericho had  _ died _ . Jason is the one to actually vocalize Jane’s sentiments.

“You’re sharing a body with your brother?” Jason gasps. “Who’s _dead._ ”  
“Yes,” Rose- no, Jericho- says. “But I never actually died.”

Jason is halfway through his tirade of confused cussing, being met with awkward silence, when Jane’s mind strays to a terrifying thought.

“Oh my god. Jason,” she grabs Jason’s shoulder and turns him to look at her, “Can you imagine if  _ we  _ had to share a body.”

Jason’s rant immediately cuts off, replaced by a sour look that almost makes Jane laugh. His eyes meet hers, then flick down at himself. Jane gives him a look, because they would  _ not  _ be using his body. There’s no way she’s giving up her own. Jason is about it protest, looking a bit offended, when Hank butts in. 

“Wait,” Hank says, “why on  _ earth  _ was that your first thought?”

“Have you ever had a sibling?” Jane asks. Hank nods, sinking in on himself a bit. Jane wonders if maybe he doesn’t have a sibling anymore. She can’t imagine what that would be like. Sure, she and Jason were separated for a while, but neither of them were… dead. “Now imagine having to share a body with them.”

“Sorry,” Donna cocks her head to the side, “are you saying that you’re  _ siblings? _ ” 

A feeling of horror washes over Jane. They’d forgotten to tell the Titans! Jane had just assumed that they knew! She knows Jason never told the others about her when he was a Titan, but she figured that she and Jason looked enough alike that the others would have just… guessed.

From the way that Jason’s mouth has dropped open, it’s likely that he’s thinking along the same lines as Jane. “We…” Jason glances around at the Titans, perplexed.

“My name is Jane Todd.”

“We’re twins.”

**February 2020 - Central City - Dick**

Dick feels like… well (prepare for a shitty joke) a dick. How had he never known about Jason having a sister? A  _ twin _ ? And, okay, Jason had never talked about having a sister and Dick would have assumed that Bruce would’ve adopted her too, but  _ still _ . Had Jason not trusted them enough to tell them? Does he not see the Titans as a family like the rest of them do?

He probably doesn’t, Dick thinks. It only makes him feel worse. They really did fuck up with Jason. A lot.

“Twins?” Conner asks. “Like… fraternal twins? Two offspring produced in the same pregnancy from two different eggs each fertilized by its own sperm cell. As opposed to identical twins in which- oh. I’m doing the knowing things thing, aren’t I?”

“Um, it’s fine,” Jason says. “And, yes? We’re fraternal twins.”

“Oh,” Conner says, content in his understanding.”I thought you were dating.”

Dick is happy to say that he did not think Jason and Jane were dating, but when Jane asks, Hank admits that he too thought she was with Jason. Jericho also pipes up to say that Rose thought so, too. Jason groans and Jane looks appalled. Dick doesn’t blame them.

“I can’t believe you thought-” Jane cuts herself off with a grimace. “Ngk. I’m literally  _ gay.”  _

Jason turns to look at her in disbelief. “Seriously?” he asks. Dick wonders for a second if Jason is homophobic. But no. He’s  _ Jason.  _

“Yes.” Jane says. “I thought you knew.”

Dick suddenly feels like he’s intruding on a private family conversation. Actually, now that he thinks about it, he sort of  _ is _ . 

“Well I  _ didn’t _ know,” Jason says dryly, “clearly.”

“But,” Jane seems at a loss, “But I’ve gone on several dates with my girlfriend! You’ve been here for months! How did you not know?:

“Girlfriend? I thought you were going out with some guy named, um… Henry?” Jason looks very confused. Dick has to admit that this whole situation is sort of comical. 

“Henri,” Jane deadpans, “short of Henrietta.”

“Well damn,” Jason says. “I guess now’s a good time as any to tell you I’m bi.”

Jane and Jason share a sweet hug. Jason’s face says he doesn’t want to be hugging her, but everything else says he doesn’t want it to stop. Hank “awes.” Jason glares at him over Jane’s shoulder.

Without warning, Gar announces that he’s asexual and joins the hug. Rachel joints too, saying that all she knows is she’s not straight.

“I don’t understand your planet,” Kory says. “Fuck who you want to. Or don’t fuck at all. Who gives a shit?” She adds herself to the hug.

Hank and Dawn are both straight, but they wrap their arms around everyone anyway. As does Donna, who shares a similar mentality to Kory. Jericho says that Rose says she’s aro then declares himself gay. Conner doesn’t fully understand what’s going on but he joins the hug after Jericho anyway. 

The only person left is Dick. The first and only person that he’s ever come out to is Alfred. He takes a deep breath. “I’m pan.”

He joins the hug.

After a moment, Jane laughs from the center of their hug. “Do you guys seriously have a team full of queer people that you didn’t know were also queer until today?”

“I guess we  _ are _ a team of queer people. Huh.” Jason says. Dick’s heart leaps. Jason just said “we.” That includes him. Jason just admitted to being a Titan.

“So…” Jericho says. “ _ Can  _ I sing something?”

He ends up singing “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman. About half way through, everyone else starts singing it, too. Even Dick.

**February 2020 - Central City - Jane**

Jane didn’t think she’d ever experience the tragedy that is Dick Grayson singing. Yet, here she is. It doesn’t even matter that he’s bad at singing, though. Jane’s having too much fun to laugh about it. The exhaustion that she’d felt earlier has faded away, replaced with an energetic high. The energy only increases when a  _ dog  _ rings her doorbell. Because it apparently  _ flew here _ . His name is Krypto and he’s Conner’s friend.

Eventually, though, it’s getting late and a few of the others are getting tired. Gar is sitting on the floor yawning, Krypto’s head in his lap. Donna is lying across Hank and Dawn on the couch. The Titans (sans Jason) head to their hotel for the night. Jane’s apartment does  _ not  _ have enough space for all of them. 

“They’re trying,” Jason says out of the blue once the Titans have left. They both have way too much energy to sleep so they’re lounging on the couch.

“Huh?” Jane lazily runs her fingers through her hair. 

“Earlier,” Jason says, voice soft, “at the pub. You said that they actually had to try to earn my forgiveness. Like I did with you,” he sighs, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again, blinking blearily. “They’re trying.”

“They are,” Jane agrees. She looks at her brother and just  _ knows _ . “You’ve already forgiven them.”

“What? No…” Jason objects, sitting up hastily. 

“You act all tough, broody, and mysterious, Jay, but you can’t fool me.”

Jason flops back into the couch cushions and groans. “Yeah,” he says, “I think I forgave them the minute they showed up.”

“Seriously? Why’d you let me yell at them, then?”

“Oh, they deserved that,” Jason says. “And I think- I think it was actually when I realized that they’d stayed that I forgave them. When we left the pub and they were still there.”

“I figured that would get you,” Jane teases.

Jason rolls his eyes. “Whatever,” he says. “Thank you, though.”

“What for?”

“For yelling at them. It was very… satisfying.”

“You’re welcome,” Jane laughs. She pulls herself off of the couch and stares Jason in the eye. “ _ We’ll always be bosom buddies.” _

“We’re doing Bosom Buddies?” Jason asks. “From  _ Mame? _ ”

“Yes!  _ Friends, siblings and pals, _ ” Jane continues the song. Jason sighs heavily but joins in at the next line.

“ _ We’ll always be bosom buddies, _

_ If life should reject you,  _

_ there’s me to protect you.” _

**March 2020 - San Francisco - Dick**

Jason comes back to live in the tower. Jane is supposed to show up at some point, too. She’s going to live in the tower, but on one of the levels below the Titans’ level. Her girlfriend Henri is coming with her. 

The day that Jason moves back in, Gar and Dawn kick everyone out of the kitchen (specifically Kory) so they can make a nice dinner. It  _ is  _ a good dinner. The Titans laugh and talk and enjoy the food together. Halfway through, they get an alert. There’s a robbery in progress; a hostage situation. 

Robin goes out with the Titans. All the hostages make it out alive. When the Titans get back, the food is cold, but none of them care.

When they’re done eating, Jason offers to do the dishes. Nobody wants to make him do it alone, save for Rose. Dick wins the race to help him dry dishes, thankfully. He needs to speak with Jason. 

They work in silence for a while. Dick can hear the others hanging out in the training room and their bedrooms over the sound of the tap’s running water. 

“Jason?” Dick tentatively starts.

“Hm?” Jason hums in acknowledgement. 

“I haven’t explicitly said it yet, but…” he takes a deep breath, “I’m sorry.” 

“Dick,” Jason’s hand grabs Dick’s wrist to stop Dick from breaking eye contact, “you don’t need to say it. I know already.”

“No,” Dick shakes his head. “I need to say it. I’m responsible for- If I hadn’t constantly benched you, you would have never taken it upon yourself to go after Dr. Light alone. Slade Wilson would have never-”

“What?” Jason sighs, sounding drained. “Would have never dropped me off of a building? It’s fine, Dick. It happened. I lived. Whatever.”

“I know for a fact that you don’t think that it’s just  _ whatever _ , Jason.”

“Fine,” Jason lets go of Dick’s wrist. “It’s not  _ whatever _ . But I forgive you, Dick.”

“Okay,” Dick acquiesces. “But… if you ever- If you ever feel like you might, um, you know-”

“Are you talking about me almost throwing myself off the roof?”

Dick lets out a strangled noise. “Yes? Yeah. Jason, if you ever feel like doing that again, or even if it’s not that extreme, remember that you can talk to me, okay? I’ll listen. So will anyone else in the tower.” 

They finish doing the dishes. Jason starts singing “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from the Little Mermaid under his breath. He gets increasingly louder the more he realizes that Dick doesn’t really care.

“I’m gonna go find Rachel,” Jason says when they’re done. 

“I think she’s in the training room with Gar, Conner, and Rose,” Dick tells him. 

“M’kay,” Jason starts heading that way. “I’ve gotta go apologize to her.”

“What for?”

“There was… an incident,” Jason decides to say. As he’s leaving, he turns to Dick, a smile on his face, and waves. Dick waves back.

“That kid is full of surprises,” Hank approaches Dick, who hadn’t known that the other man was there.

“Yeah,” Dick says, “he is.”

_ So lonely before I finally found what I’ve been looking for. _

_ (High School Musical) _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring:
> 
> Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - (The Andrews Sisters) - (I know it's not a show tune but it's fun)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfWc52smNs8
> 
> Take a Chance on Me - (Abba) (Mamma Mia!)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLkmfL6IVQs
> 
> Under the Sea - (The Little Mermaid)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC_mV1IpjWA
> 
> Into The Unknown - (Frozen II)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1uoTMkhUiE
> 
> A Whole New World - (Aladdin)   
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ1Rb9hC4JY
> 
> This is Me - (The Greatest Showman)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEJd2RyGm8Q
> 
> Bosom Buddies - (Mame)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8OMzsGlwnc
> 
> Poor Unfortunate Souls - (The Little Mermaid) - (Cover by Brian Charles Rooney)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB-tX827vw4
> 
> What I've Been Looking For - (High School Musical)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnTthKo4bLg

**Author's Note:**

> Story Title From "I've Got a Dream" (Tangled)


End file.
